Delicious oatmeal banana bread with oatmeal in the bread and a tasty oatmeal topping. This hearty banana bread is perfect for breakfast or a mid morning snack.
The most popular recipe on my blog is a recipe for Oatmeal Banana Muffins. They are a really great muffin that get rave reviews. Just lately I've had some readers ask if they can make the recipe into a banana bread instead of muffins.
And yes, you can make that recipe into a loaf of bread. I've made those muffins hundreds of times and I've never even thought about adding the batter to a loaf pan.
Sometimes I can get a bit stuck in my ways. I adjusted my original muffin recipe, just a bit and made it into banana bread.
You could still use my original muffin recipe for making this banana oat bread. It makes a delicious loaf. This new recipe is slightly less dense than the original.
Step by Step Directions
- Combine flour, oatmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon
- In a separate bowl, combine eggs, oil and vanilla
- Mash bananas using a fork or a potato masher
- Add mashed bananas to egg mixture
- Place egg mixture in bowl with flour mixture
- Stir together just until combined
- Place in a greased loaf pan
- Top with oat crumble
- Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 50-60 minutes
Oatmeal Crumb Topping
- Place oatmeal, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and oil in a bowl
- Mix until combined
- Sprinkle mixture over banana bread batter
How to test if bread is done?
- Cooking times vary depending on each oven
- At 50 minutes test bread with a toothpick. Insert a toothpick in the center of the bread. Bread is done if there are just a few crumbs stuck to toothpick. Bread needs more baking time if toothpick comes out with sticky batter, bake for 5-10 minutes longer
- Here is great tutorial on testing banana bread if you want to know more
Tips for making
- Use really ripe bananas for making this bread.
- Mash the bananas well before adding to the mixture
- Preheat oven before adding bread
- Check your bread to see if it's baked through at 50 minutes. Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes if needed.
- Allow bread to fully cool before slicing. Warm bread tends to fall apart easily.
Ingredient substitutions
- Old Fashioned Oats - You can use one-minute or quick oats instead
- Canola Oil - Use vegetable oil or other light tasting oil
- Vanilla - If you don't have vanilla on hand, you may omit
How long will banana bread last?
Banana bread doesn't last long in my house, because my kids tend to eat it up right away! However, it could last for up to three days if stored in an airtight container. Once bread has fully cooled slice bread and place in a zip top bag or container.
This bread can also be frozen. Allow bread to fully cool, slice, if desired and add to a freezer bag. Frozen banana bread is best if used within 2-3 months.
Other great recipes using ripe bananas
- Blueberry Banana Coffee Cake
- Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Quinoa Banana Bread
- Walnut Banana Muffins
- Fruit and Veggie Smoothie
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @beyondthechickencoop
Check out all my delicious bread recipes!
Oatmeal Banana Bread
Ingredients
Bread
- 1 ½ cups flour
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup oil (canola)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ½ cups ripe bananas (mashed, approximately 3 bananas )
Topping
- ¼ cup old fashioned oats
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon oil (canola)
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
- dash salt
Instructions
Bread
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Lightly grease a loaf pan
- Combine flour, oatmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon1 ½ cups flour, 1 cup old fashioned oats, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- In a separate bowl, combine eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla½ cup brown sugar, 2 eggs, ¼ cup oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Mash bananas using a fork or a potato masher. Add mashed bananas to egg mixture and mix until combined.1 ½ cups ripe bananas
- Add egg mixture to flour mixture. Stir together just until combined
- Place batter in a lightly greased loaf pan.
Topping
- Combine oats, brown sugar, oil, cinnamon and salt together in a bowl¼ cup old fashioned oats, 1 Tablespoon brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon oil, ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon, dash salt
- Sprinkle mixture over prepared banana bread batter
- Bake bread for 50-60 minutes in preheated 350 degree oven
- Allow bread to cool for 10 minutes in pan. Remove bread from pan and continue cooling on a baking rack.
- When bread has fully cooled, slice into 10 slices
Notes
- Use really ripe bananas for making this bread.
- Mash the bananas well before adding to the mixture
- Preheat oven before adding bread
- Check your bread to see if it's baked through at 50 minutes. Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes if needed.
- Allow bread to fully cool before slicing. Warm bread tends to fall apart easily.
- Old Fashioned Oats - You can use one-minute or quick oats instead
- Canola Oil - Use vegetable oil or other light tasting oil
- Vanilla - If you don't have vanilla on hand, you may omit
Cristina says
Can you add walnuts to the recipe? Just love nuts in my bread and wondering how it will come out?
Kathy says
Walnuts would be a delicious addition to this banana bread! I would fold in 1/2 - 1 cup chopped walnuts just before adding to the bread pan and then bake as normal.
Enjoy 🙂
Clementine says
My mind was really in the clouds this morning. I also accidentally added an extra 1/4c of coconut oil.
Kathy says
So glad they turned out!
Connie says
I wish i would have added a 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce or coconut oil. this bread was so dry; very disappointed. However i only had two bananas, so that could have made it more on the dry side too??
Kathy says
Hi Connie,
The bananas really are key to making a moist banana bread. If you put less in, the recipe will not be the same. You also need to use very ripe bananas in order for the bread to be moist. Sometimes changing a recipe works, but sometimes you are going to get less desirable results.
Kathy
Katie Jane says
Seriously??? You changed the recipe and it didn't work out and you are blaming the recipe? Not really fair to only give her 2 stars due to your error. I've made this banana bread and it works out beautifully - when you follow the recipe! 🙂
Clementine says
Replaced the sugar with maple syrup, added an extra 1t of cinnamon, and used coconut oil instead of canola oil. Super moist, flavorful, and not too sweet. Skipped the topping (I totally forgot. Doh.). Super moist and flavorful- not super dense like other banana breads. Love it! Can't want to try WITH the topping next time.
Kathy says
Sounds like they turned out just perfectly! I like the idea of adding maple syrup. It would add such great flavor!
Naomi A says
This is the BEST banana bread recipe I have ever made/eaten. Instead of regular sugars, I used maple syrup and monk fruit sugar and it still came out amazing. Saving and will be making again soon!
Kathy says
Wow!!! Thank you!!! You just made my day! 🙂
Bea says
You do not mention when you add the sugar. With the egg mixture or flour mixture
Kathy says
Oh dear, you are correct! Add the sugar with the egg mixture. I have gone in and corrected this in the instructions! Thank you and enjoy! 🙂
David @ Spiced says
I absolutely love quick breads, and I really love using oats in breads, too. The texture is amazing...not to mention the health benefits of the oats. But let's be real - it's not about the health. It's about the delicious bread! And the combination with banana bread here sounds like it's right up my alley. I would love a slice of this with my morning coffee tomorrow!
Alex says
I am always looking for new ways to use bananas - and I love banana bread, so I am really enjoying the oatmeal too! Delicious.
Kathy says
Thanks, Alex! I always seem to have a few extra ripe bananas around that just need to be used up.